US Assistant Secretary of State, Carson, for AU Summit

Washington, DC, US (PANA) - US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson will lead the U.S. delegation to the 2012 African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 13-17 July, a US State Department statement said here.

It said Carson would be accompanied by the Special Representative for Somalia, Ambassador James Swan; the Senior Adviser on Darfur, Ambassador Dane Smith, and the Global AIDS Coordinator, Ambassador Eric Goosby.

The 19th Ordinary Summit will be held under the theme "Boosting Intra-African Trade", even though it is expected to be dominated by the election of the Chair of the AU Commission, which was inconclusive during the last summit in January.

Incumbent Jean Ping will square up against South Africa's Minister of Home Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.
-0- PANA SEG 13July2012